Car-feeding device for tunnel-furnaces.



APPLICATION FILED MALE. 16, 1911.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

ATTORNEY 2 SHEETS-SHEET A; H. COWLES. 4 CAR FEEDING DEVICE FOR TUNNEL FURNACES. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16, 1911.

1 0 ,278 I Patented Feb. 3,1914.

2 SHEET B-BHEET 2.

*nmlllulinuuT UNITED STATES PATENT oFo.

ALFRED H. COWLES; OF SEWAREN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIG-NOR TO THE ELECTRIC SMELTING AND ALUMINUM COMPANY.

GAR-FEEDING DEVICE FOR TUNNEL-FURNACES.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 16, 1911. Serial No. 614,876.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, .ALFRED H. CowLEs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Sewaren, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Feed desired in the furnace, thereby preventing under or over-heating and insuring economy.

7 The object of the invention is to provide.

a more economical, eflicient and easily manipulated means for feeding the material gradually and uniformly into and through such furnace.

Hitherto the method'of procedure has been to introduce a car carrying the material all at once, and causing a quick forward motion of the train of cars in the furnace, to make room for the new load. This method is subject to various defects, among which may be mentioned jolts, by the cars being moved quickly or hitting against each other, and displacing some of the load. Furthermore, a load when inserted bodily by one quick operation into the furnace, remains for a very considerable time exposed to the temperature of that portion of the furnace near the entrance, the other loads under treatmentremaining stationary and subject to the temperature ruling in that portion of the furnace in which they stopped. This does not tend to the most uniform treatment of the loads, which is attained by keeping the cars moving constantly and uniformly through the furnace, and bringing the loadssuccessively into the varying zones of temperature.

To carry out my invention I have invented the device set forth in the drawings,

which illustrate one of th means by which my said invention may be practically applied.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is an elevation of a Grondal tunnel, or channel fur-. nace; Fig. 2,'a longitudinal section through the portion at which the, truck enters, show- Referring to the drawings, 1 is the ex-' terior of the furnace closed at one end by a vestibule 2 of my construction; 3 are rails for introducing into the vestibule 2, the

transfer car 4 carrying rails 5 from which the car 6 bearing the load furnace.

6 are the cars already in the furnace into 7 is run into the which they have been pushed over the track 5', of' which the rails 5 form a continuation when the loaded car is in place in the vestibule.

Projecting through the front wall 8 of the vestibule 2 is shown a" means 9 for pushing the truck 6 from the vestibule into the fur-' nace.

9 is a rack, to which a gradual uniform forward motion and a rapid return is imparted by the motor 10, which is any of the well known types of variable speed motors, acting on the rack through pulleys carrying the belt 11'. Other equivalent means may beemployed. The larger pulley actuates the worm 12, the spur wheel 13, and the'rack 9, through the pinion 14.

15, 15 is a reversing electric switch, between the points of which moves the con tact lever 16, which is shifted at predetermined intervals by the pin 17 on the rack 9.

18, 18 are the two vestibuleside doors whose upper portion is shaped as a rack and adapted to be raised and lowered by motor 20, or by hand through the intermediation of the worm and gearing 19. These doors 18, when dow'n, dip into sand seals 21, which-I have arranged on the transfer car 4, and thereby seal practically air and gas tight the doors 18, 18, of the vestibule 2.

22 is the'door leading from the vestibule into the'f-urnace, which is raised and lowered by means of gear 24 and motor 2 or otherwise.

Attached to the tr nsfercar 0n the sides tge rack '22, worm 23,

i so:

at right angles to the axle 26 are angle-irons 27 dipping into sand boxes or troughs 28, located on the floor of the vestibule. These sand seals in combination with the seals'21 located on top of the transfer car, serve to seal the vestibule on all sides when the car is within the vestibule.

' The cars 6 and 6 are provided at their sides with downward projecting strips 29 which dip into the sand channels 30,,and seal the car 6" from the pit 31.

At any desired point or points Imay introduce one or more thermostats, or pyrometers, such as shown at Z) (Fig. 2).-

Here 0, if a thermostat is to be used, may be composed of two different metals having different-degrees of expansion and contraction under change of temperature. This contact stands either between the twd points, or on (Z or d, according to the heat.

, The thermostat is connected by the conductors w 1 with the rheostat R, and throws into the motor circuit, or throws out, resistance, thereby controlling the current supplied to the motor and hence its speed.

The operation of my device is as follows z -Assume the furnace to be in full op- .eration and ready to receive the loads which are to undergo treatment. The door 18 or 18 (according to the side from which the transfer-car is to be introduced) is raised. The switch lever 16' in normal condition rests midway between the two contacts 15, in the position shown by the dotted outline in Fig. 5. The current is turned on manually by placing the switch lever on the contact 15. As soon the transfer car, carrying the car 6 is introduced the doors 18, 18 are lowered into the sand seals 21. The door 22 is now raised, and current is sent into the motor, which immediately brings the inner end of rack bar 9 against the car 6 and continues to force it gradually and uniformly into the furnace. During this time, the heat and gases from'the furnace are retained within the vestibule by the sand seals 21 and 28. When the car 6 with its load has entirely entered the furnace, the pin 17 on the rack 9 comes into contact with the hxver switch 16 and throws it over onto the contacts 15 reversing the motor and returning the rack with a rapid motion to the original position. Braking the return movement of the rack may be effected, in one way, by a spring 16', and the pin 17 meeting the end of the lever 16,

throws it off the contacts 15, 15', into the central position, thereby shutting off the current from the motor. The inertia of the switch will retain it in the central position .until it is again to be thrown into contact with 15. The furnace door 22 is now lowered, the side door 18 or 18' raised, and the transfer-car run out over the rails 3 to reccive another load.

Automatic regulation of the movement of the cars in the furnace is attained by making the movement of the cars dependent upon the heat desired in the furnace. thermostat may be used for this purpose, and one is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 2. lVhen the heat is normal, the contact 0 stands betweenthe points at and d. Increase or decrease of heat causes a to make contact with either (Z or d, throwing in or out resistance and increasing or decreasing the speed of the motor 10.

I do' not herein claim the mechanism actuated by Variations of temperature of the furnace, or the specific electric means for attaining the feeding movement, these forming the subject matter ofvmy divisional application Ser. No. 626,856 filed M ay 12, 1911.

Having thus fully described and illustrated my invention, what I claim is 1. A furnace of the channel type having its inlet end open, comprising a railway, sand seals located along said railway, a vestibule provided with automatic seals, means for shutting the vestibule off from communication with the furnace and with the external air, a truck provided at its sides with downwardly projecting pieces extending into the sand seals parallel to the railway of the furnace, in combinati0n with means adapted to cause a gradual and uniform forward motion for transporting the truck through the furnace.

2. The combination with a furnace of the tunnel type having' a vestibule provided with means for shutting it'ofi', at will, from the furnace, or from the outer air, of a car feeding device acting against the resistance of a train of cars, said-device being adapted to produce a uniform gradual forward. movement, and being, moreover provided'with means for automatically reversing its move ment and insuring a. quick return in the starting position.

3. A furnace of the channel type having its outlet end open, and comprising a railway, sand seals located along said railway, a vestibule provided with automatic seals, means for shutting the vestibule 01f from con'nnunication' with the furnace and with the external air, a truck provided at its sides with downwardly projecting pieces extending into the sand seals parallel to the railway of the furnace, in combination with a car feeding mechanism adapted to impart gradual forward motion, said mechanism being provided with means adapted to reverse its motion at a predetermined moment and return it rapidly to its original position.

l. A channel furnace, comprising a vestibule, a car track leading into said vestibule, a transfer car located on said track and provided with sand seals, in combination with vertically adjustable vestibule doors arranged to dip into said sand seals and automatically shut off the vestibule from the external air.

5. In a channel furnace, a vestibule provided with a vertically movable door, in combination with a v car having attached thereto a sand seal adapted'to register with the vertically movable vestibule door.

6. A- mechanism for feeding, carsinto. channel furnaces provided with vestibules adapted to be sealed against the furnace and the outer air, comprising a rack passing ing the pinion to impart to the rack a gradual forward movement, said motor being adapted also to impart a rapid reverse movement of the rack to its initial position. Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this 13th day of March A. D. 1911. v

ALFRED H OOWLES. Witnesses:

DAVID J. WALSH, ALBERT STETSON.

fiopies oi this patent may be. obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner ofPat ents, Washington, D. O. 

